Once, when the people of God had become careless in their relationship with Him, the Lord rebuked them through the prophet Haggai. "Consider your ways!" (Haggai 1:5) he declared, urging them to reflect on some of the things happening to them, and to evaluate their slipshod spirituality in light of what God had told them.

Even those most faithful to God occasionally need to pause and think about the direction of their lives. It's so easy to bump along from one busy week to another without ever stopping to ponder where we're going and where we should be going.

The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up, and get our bearings. To that end, here are some questions to ask prayerfully in the presence of God.

1. What's one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?

2. What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?

3. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?

4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?

5. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?

6. What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?

7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?

8. What's the most important way you will, by God's grace, try to make this year different from last year?

9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?

10. What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? In eternity?

In addition to these ten questions, here are twenty-one more to help you "Consider your ways." Think on the entire list at one sitting, or answer one question each day for a month.11. What's the most important decision you need to make this year?

12. What area of your life most needs simplifying, and what's one way you could simplify in that area?

13. What's the most important need you feel burdened to meet this year?

14. What habit would you most like to establish this year?

15. Who do you most want to encourage this year?

16. What is your most important financial goal this year, and what is the most important step you can take toward achieving it?

17. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your work life this year?

18. What's one new way you could be a blessing to your pastor (or to another who ministers to you) this year?

19. What's one thing you could do this year to enrich the spiritual legacy you will leave to your children and grandchildren?

20. What book, in addition to the Bible, do you most want to read this year?

21. What one thing do you most regret about last year, and what will you do about it this year?

22. What single blessing from God do you want to seek most earnestly this year?

23. In what area of your life do you most need growth, and what will you do about it this year?

24. What's the most important trip you want to take this year?

25. What skill do you most want to learn or improve this year?

26. To what need or ministry will you try to give an unprecedented amount this year?

27. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your commute this year?

28. What one biblical doctrine do you most want to understand better this year, and what will you do about it?

29. If those who know you best gave you one piece of advice, what would they say? Would they be right? What will you do about it?

30. What's the most important new item you want to buy this year?

31. In what area of your life do you most need change, and what will you do about it this year?

Monday, January 4, 2010

"I have learned, in whatsoever state I am in, therewith to be content." Philippians 4:11

"Highlights" from Chapter 15 Consolation to the Contented Christian...

To the contented Christian, I shall say two things for a farewell. 1) God is exceedingly taken with such a frame of heart. If you would please God, and be men of his heart, be contented. God hates a froward spirit. 2) The contented Christian shall be no loser. What lost Job by his patience? God gave him twice as much as before. What lost Abraham by his contentment? God made a covenant with him that he would be his God, that he would be the father of many nations; God makes his seed as the stars of heaven; nay, honors him with this title, "the father of the faithful". God will be sure to reward the contented Christian. As our Saviour said to Nathaniel, "you shall see greater things than these:" (Jn.1:50) so I say, art thou contented (O Christian) with little? thou shalt see greater things than these.

End.

That concludes this 'Book Highlight'. I hope that you have been encouraged, edified, and spurred towards a closer walk with the Lord. It is my earnest prayer that we all glorify Him more with our lives as we "learn to be content in whatever state we are in". Thanks for following along. I hope to see you again next time.If there are any specific book requests you have, just let me know, and I'll see what I can do!Thanks again, and may God bless you!

Posted by
Mrs. Burnsed

Saturday, January 2, 2010

By His Grace...

"The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance." Psalm 16:6
Jesus Christ has saved me by His grace; not because of any good thing in me but because of His great love. Since that glorious day, He has graciously made me a happily married mother of four, whose greatest desire is to glorify God with my new life, through biblically fulfilling my roles as a woman, wife, mother, homemaker, and evangelist; by loving and fearing God supremely, trusting and serving Him exclusively and deriving all pleasure, happiness, and satisfaction in Him.
It is my earnest prayer that this blog will at all times reflect my thankfulness to God for all that He has done, is doing, and will do. TO HIM BE ALL THE GLORY ALWAYS.

Not for my own glory, but for the glory of God...

SAGE, n. A wise CHRISTIAN woman; a woman of gravity and discernment; particularly, a woman venerable for years, and known as a woman of sound judgment and prudence; as a sage counselor.

"The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil." Proverbs 15:28

In Titus chapter 2 there is a beautiful picture of this sage-like 'older woman' coming alongside and mentoring the 'younger woman'. Since I am currently considered one of the 'younger women', the purpose 'I aspire to' is clearly given...

"Older women likewise, are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed." Titus 2:3-5

My Prayer For You

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.Philippians 1:9-11

Ministry \ Blog Disclaimer

No ministry \ blog is perfect because they are creations of imperfect humans...and mine is no exception :)
Although I've tried to list only those ministries which are in line with biblical principles, there are some that I do not agree with 100%.
However, I do not feel the need to "throw the baby out with the bathwater". So my suggestion would be to visit each site with caution...gleaning Godly wisdom where you can and disregarding (or reproving, if need be) that which is not according to God's Word.
"Test all things; hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil". 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22